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Amid Elon Musk drama, Don Lemon to marry partner Tim Malone

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Tim Malone and Don Lemon
Tim Malone and Don Lemon (Photo: Shutterstock)

Don Lemon will soon be tying the knot with his long-term partner, New York realtor Tim Malone.

Lemon, 58, made headlines last week when his new show, due to air first on X, was unceremoniously dumped by Elon Musk. Afterward, Lemon gave an interview to People magazine.

Reporter Jason Sheeler spoke to Lemon via Zoom. Lemon held up a marriage license.

“We just got it today!” the former CNN journalist said, smiling.

Presuming it was obtained in New York, the men have 60 days to take advantage of it and tie the knot. Lemon did not reveal any more details about when and where the nuptials will take place.

Lemon and Malone, 39, began dating in 2016. They announced their engagement in 2019. Lemon revealed via Instagram that Malone had proposed with some help from the couple’s dogs.

“He gave me a present on his birthday. How could I say no?” Lemon captioned two side-by-side photos of dog collars that read “Daddy Will You Marry Papa?” around the necks of their pets, Boomer and Barkley.

The men first met at a restaurant in the Hamptons in 2015 and began dating the following year.

Who is Tim Malone?

Malone is from New York. He was born April 6, 1984. After college, he worked for a few years at NBC, including a stint as a production assistant on The Today Show. He then worked in marketing at Billboard, before switching careers to real estate in 2018.

Both men frequently post images together to their respective Instagram accounts.

From CNN to X to YouTube

Lemon was dumped by CNN last year after 17 years with the network. He made comments regarding Nikki Haley being past her “prime” that landed him in hot water. Staffers then alleged Lemon didn’t have a great track record working with some female colleagues. He departed CNN shortly after.

Lemon stepped away from the limelight for a while. He was reported to have received a generous settlement from CNN earlier this year. Then, Elon Musk announced he was recruiting Lemon to broadcast on X.

However, last Wednesday, Lemon revealed Musk had messaged him to tell him his contract was terminated. Musk had sat down with Lemon to be interviewed for his first episode. He apparently did not appreciate the line of questioning.

“There were no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to, and my questions were respectful and wide ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election,” Lemon said in a statement. “We had a good conversation. Clearly he felt differently.”

On X, responding to a question from a user about the contract termination, Musk said, “Instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just [former CNN chief] Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity,” Musk said.

Freedom of speech

The new Don Lemon Show was set to air on X exclusively on Fridays, before also going to YouTube on Mondays. Lemon said the show is going ahead but will be on YouTube. Musk has said he’s still welcome to place it on X via his own account.

People magazine asked Lemon if he’d had any qualms about joining X, given Musk’s apparent politics and recent transphobia.

“I disagree, quite frankly, with most of what Elon Musk tweets about and talks about,” said Lemon. “But he owns X, which is formerly Twitter. And it’s one of the biggest social media and information platforms in the world. I thought it was the best opportunity to reach the biggest audience so that people could see the work that I’m doing. I also, unlike Elon Musk, truly do believe in freedom of speech.”

“He’s not used to being held to account”

Lemon said that he knew there was a risk everything could fall apart with Musk.

“I went into this with my eyes open. I’ve interviewed many world leaders, presidents to convicts, and no one has been more sensitive or touchy than Elon Musk. And during the interview and during other interviews, he constantly says he doesn’t care what people write or say about him.

“For someone who doesn’t care about what people write or say about him, he sure does care about what people write or say about him. He’s not used to being held to account. He’s not used to having to answer to anyone, especially someone like me who doesn’t share his worldview, who doesn’t look like him. You know what I’m saying?

“When I questioned him about things that he put out on social media, posted or tweeted, that weren’t factual, it was very uncomfortable for him. To the point to where [he and his team] wanted to see the interview before it aired. Which was a big capital N no.”

The first episode of the Don Lemon Show went online today. You can watch it below.

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